Let's do this.
Beginning right now, independent animators from around the world will define their animation skills in this competition to determind the ultimate Champion of Animation, 2013. This is the NewGrounds Annual Tournament of Animation, 2013.
Please visit the Official NATA Website for all the information you may need!
.
.
.
*** Open Round ***

The Theme for the Open Round is...
*********************
* A New Holiday *
*********************
.
.
.
*** Rules ***
**************
* You have until 11:59:59 PM, Eastern Standard Time, on April 25th to complete your submissions. No submissions will be accepted after the deadline without penalty.
* All entries must include the Nooni Media logo in their loading screen, title sequence, or credit roll.
* Entries must fit the theme above to both level the playing field and ensure that entries were not previously created.
* The animation must be no shorter than 1 Minute and no longer than 10 Minutes.
* The animation must be submitted on NewGrounds in any video or flash format, so long as it can be considered animation. 3D, flash, traditional, and stop-motion are all acceptable formats.
* Excess nudity, profanity, and other things of profane nature are not allowed. (It cannot have a "Mature" rating.)
* Absolutely NO copyright material is allowed without permission. If you use copyrighted music or other material in your animation, you MUST get the permission of the original creator of that material.
* If you would like to parody, then use similar names instead of the real names - ie. "Smears" instead of "Sears". No copyrighted material whatsoever.
* The Audio portal is a great source for music, just be sure to get permission to use it for this contest!
* Any entry in violation of these rules will be disqualified.
.
.
.
*** Judging ***
*****************
Entries will be judged by the following judges:
* Tom Fulp
* Emrox
* test-object
* NitWitt
* SymphyBunny
Judging for the Open Round will be performed by each judge selecting their "top picks" and combining the top pick lists to narrow the entries down to the top 32, which will enter the brackets. In each bracketed round, judging will be score-based on each entry.
.
.
.
*** Submissions ***
**********************
* Entries must be uploaded via the NewGrounds Flash Portal.
* Entries must be tagged with "nata2013open" to distinguish them from other rounds and years.
* Entries must be submitted before the deadline. (See above)
* Be sure to post a link to your entry in this topic, to be sure your entry does not get lost.
.
.
.
*** Late Penalties ***
*************************
Late penalties look like this for submissions after the deadline:
0 - 29 minutes: - 5 total points
30 - 59 minutes: - 10 total points
1 - 2 hours: - 15 total points
2 - 3 hours: - 20 total points
3 - 4 hours: - 30 total points
4 - 5 hours: - 40 total points
5+ hours: Disqualified
.
.
.
*** Prize ***
*****************
The top 32 scored entrants from the Open Round will each move on to the Novice Round brackets and receive a $20 prize for making it in. All prizes will be awarded in September, AFTER the competition ends. Final Prize Division will be as follows:
Open Winners (32): $20
Novice Winners (8): +$70 ($90 total)
Pro Winners (2): +$250 ($340 total)
Champion (1): +$860 ($1200 total) + Engraved Crystal NATA Trophy + 1-Year Adobe Creative Cloud Membership + Interview with the Interviewer + NATA Shirt, Calendar, DVD, and Poster.
.
.
.
*** Fine Print ***
******************
* By submitting an entry to NATA 2013, you agree to allow NATA and its organizers to use your material to promote the contest and use it for possible calendars and other merchandise.
* All entrants must have a paypal or the ability to receive a check in the mail in order to claim their prizes.
* The final Champion of Flash Artists at the completion of the contest must create an illustrated image of themselves interacting with planet Earth, as is NATA tradition to document their victory with such an image on the NATA website.
.
.
.
Good Luck!!

Alright! Im just happy you didnt pull a big april fools day prank on us and announce the theme tommorow or somethin!
But anyway i'm still debating which direction i want to take with this theme.
Also i really want to be a part of the NATA community this year, so ill hopefully be posting in the fourms alot this year.
GOOD LUCK TO ALL! AND LET THE GAMES BEGIN :D